Accident
by BleedingCoffee
Summary: An accident lands Roy and Riza in the hospital. For RoyAi 100 Themes #015: The Scent of Blood


_AN: For RoyAi 100 Themes #15 The Scent of Blood_

Summary: An accident lands Roy and Riza in the hospital. RoyAi

Disclaimer: I don't own FMA.

* * *

 **Accident**

* * *

"What is the world coming to? What kind of a terrible person steals someone's truck?"

Roy looked over at Barry the Chopper, serial killer and Riza Hawkeye's not-so-secret admirer. "What a horrible world where someone's _serial killer van_ could be stolen from evidence."

Barry sat down next to the Colonel, hearing the sarcasm in his voice but not really caring. He was too busy watching Riza check her firearm again right before she put it back in her shoulder holster. He felt that glow come over him again and sighed. "What a women."

Riza looked over at her Colonel, who seemed to be contemplating erasing Barry's blood seal while the armored killer sat next to him with bright pink hearts pulsating in his eyes. "Sir, I'm ready."

"I'm so glad I can help you with this Riza." Barry purred. "And I'm so glad you like wearing a shoulder holster. God those are hot as hell."

Roy elbowed Barry and winced as the act did nothing to the tin can but struck a nerve on his elbow and made him bite his tongue in pain.

Riza looked at Mustang's grimace as he clenched his fist and tried to shake off the horrible sensation from striking his elbow in the wrong spot. She had to agree with Barry, shoulder holsters were hot as hell, especially on Roy Mustang.

Barry jumped up and ran over to the car, opening the back door for Riza and bowing gallantly. "After you my lady."

"I'll ride in the front." She said and watched Barry pout. He was creepy, but someone managed to still be oddly endearing.

Barry looked into the back seat of Mustang's car and said, "Don't blame you, no telling what that nasty Colonel has had back here with him. I wouldn't want you to slide your perfect body across this nasty seat. At least I sanitized my truck after commit crimes, this looks like you should turn it over to evidence so they can start vaccinating Mustang for whatever diseases he picked up."

Roy glared at him as Barry crawled in the back seat and stretched out, purposely lifting his lion cloth in the process. Riza slammed the door and turned to him. "I hate him."

"Sir? We should get going." Riza watched Roy shake his head and clench his jaw. This was going to be an interesting evening.

Roy stood and pulled his keys out of his pocket. Barry was bad enough, having to take Barry on a mission with them was just about the worst thing imaginable. "Why do we need him again?"

"Sir, you know he's rather attached to his possessions. He's going to be able to pick out the van if they've already altered it or repainted it." Riza watched him readjust his shoulder holster, his shirt tight across his chest, showcased by straps of leather and a quality semiautomatic under his arm. Now that was a centerfold she wanted to see. Ugh, Barry really had a bad affect on her.

Roy grabbed his jacket and threw it on, catching a weird look from Riza's eye right before he did so. He didn't want to piss her off since this was her suggestion. She was already irritated with him for how

jealous he was getting over Barry. "He really thinks his human body is still around? Capable of breaking into a military facility and stealing it's old van?"

Riza shrugged. "It's weird that someone would take it. If we can catch his body than maybe we can get some answers about what kind of experiments are happening down in these labs. If it's not his body, then we are stopping some kind of crime."

Roy nodded and swirled the keys around on his finger. He doubted Barry's intentions, but the fact was the van was stolen from a military facility which made it a concern. Just not more concerning than Barry's creepy hands trying to touch Riza or the words coming from the bastard's mouth. "If he leaks anything weird on my back seat, I'm taking him to the scrap yard and throwing him in the crusher."

Riza settled in to the front seat and got out a map of the city. They had recently been transferred here and she wasn't familiar with Central quite yet. As Mustang drove, she would make notations on the map and Barry would provide commentary from the back seat. Meanwhile on the other side of town Breda and Havoc were watching for any suspicious activity near one of the old abandoned labs. "Barry, did you interact with your old body at all?"

"Nope. I have no idea what condition that meat sack is in. But don't worry about him tootse, this body has plenty to please you with." Barry said and reached out to touch her shoulder.

Roy turned around and smacked the metal hand away from Riza. "Don't touch her!"

Riza thought she was going to die as the car swerved into oncoming traffic. Her eyes grew wide and quickly slapped Roy's arm to get his attention. "Would you please watch the road!"

Roy swerved back into his lane as a sedan honked at him before running over a few newspaper stacks on the curb. He looked up at the rear view mirror and glared at Barry who looked satisfied that he was getting yelled at. "I told you to quit talking about my lieutenant like that!"

Barry put his head on the back of the front seat and nuzzled against Hawkeye's shoulder. "He's so possessive! Hear that _my_ Lieutenant? MY? He doesn't own you."

Riza whacked him in the face with a map of the city as Roy turned again to try and punch him. She grabbed the wheel and screamed. "COLONEL! Watch the road!

Roy grabbed the steering wheel back and grumbled. "He needs to watch his mouth before I burn that body of his out of existance!"

"I told her what I want to do with her body, have you ever been that honest Mustang?" Barry hooted and slid back in the spacious seat to avoid the hand that was suddenly striking at him again. "God there's enough room back here for an orgy! Why do you need such a huge back seat, Mustang?"

"COLONEL!" Riza slapped Roy instead. "Drive!"

Roy settled back into driving as he listened to Barry giggle. He was about to slam on the brakes and tell the guy to get the hell out but suddenly Barry screamed in the back seat, startling him.

"OH my God! It's my Baby! Vanessa!" Barry pointed and pressed his finger against the glass. "I just saw her! My van, down the other street! Vanessa!"

Roy managed to ask..." _Van_ essa?" before Barry opened the back door and jumped out.

Riza turned and looked as their serial killer raced through the crowded sidewalk screaming about his darling van and sprinting down the street. "Take the next right!"

Roy obeyed and pressed down the accelerator, his back door swinging open and flapping against the car as they raced to catch up with their prisoner and escaped evidence. He was about to turn onto the next road, but a flash of something white was the last thing he saw before the escaped van hit them.

Barry watched in horror as his van smashed into Mustang's car, sending it spinning into a busy intersection. His truck sped off and he heard the next crash before he saw it, then he screamed again as Mustang's car went flying across the road and into a guardrail. He sprinted over to the scene.

"Riza!"

She could hear the hiss of something and the smell of burnt rubber.

"RIZA!"

The smell of blood, the taste of blood on her lips. Pain and pressure on her chest.

"RIZA RIZA!"

Suddenly the world was shaking and she opened her eyes, a drop of blood clouding her vision momentarily as her ears continued to ring and the disbelief slowly began to fade away. She forced herself to focus and realized she was laying on the floor of the car, the heavy being on top of her was the Colonel. There must have been an accident.

"RIZA!"

She looked at the Colonel's unmoving lips and realized that it was Barry's voice as he banged on the roof, shook the vehicle and looked in the window. Suddenly everything was in focus and she twisted to try and get out from under Mustang. He wasn't moving, "Colonel?"

Barry couldn't open the car doors, they were both crushed from the impact. The door he left open was in the middle of the road, but the car was pinned against a guardrail and that opening was inaccessible. The hood was up and the radiator was hissing steam, gasoline was leaking onto the streets along with antifreeze. He didn't want to send glass flying all over Riza so he smashed in the glass in the back seat. "I'm here to save you Riza!"

She finally freed her arm a little and reached out to touch Roy's face. She could feel a shallow warm breath against the back of her hand, but soon her hand was covered in blood dripping from his head. The blood that was dripping in her eye. She whimpered, "Colonel?"

"No honey, It's Barry." The serial killer bumped against the confines of the car to try and wiggle towards the front seat. Oh to have his old skinny pasty ass body back right now! "Talk to me baby? You OK?"

Riza had to force herself to reply, she fought against the car, Roy's body and her own injuries to free herself but it wasn't working. She needed Barry's help. "Call for help, Barry."

Barry finally just took off his head and held it over the seat so he could see down to the floor. It was dim and all he could really see was some dark smears on the seat, blood that he wished he could smell. "Look honey, I'm going to move the car and see if I can get you out from your door. OK?"

"Hurry, the Colonel is hurt." Riza sat and pushed her arm up enough to touch Roy's chin with the back of her hand.

Barry wiggled out of the car and put his head back on, the onlookers screamed and scrambled to get away from the accident. He didn't care about the Colonel, but she'd never forgive him if he died because of neglect.

"Stay with me Colonel." She whispered and twisted her hand to try and put it against his neck to feel his pulse. She could smell his aftershave and that expensive shampoo of his, but more than anything she smelled his blood. She had always been sensitive enough to smell it and right now it was overwhelming and she was beginning to panic about his current state.

"Roy, please stay with me." Riza whispered as she assessed her situation. She was currently lying on the floor of Roy's car, her one arm trapped under his body and the other wedged underneath the seat. Roy was on top of her, unconscious, and she was unable to push him off her with just the arm wedged between them. Her gun was poking her in the chest while the butt of his pistol was painfully pushing into her ribs. She tried to wiggle around him, her legs seemed to be the freest, but there wasn't anywhere for her to go.

It was dark, but her eyes were slowly acclimating to the dim light. Wherever they were they must be off the main road since there were no street lamps to shed even the slightest drop of light on them. The hissing from the radiator stopped, it must have spent all it's steam, and she could hear Barry screaming at people to get back from the scene of the accident or he was going to chop them to tiny bits.

All that really mattered was the man on top of her who had yet to respond to a single word or touch. She could move a few fingers and stroked his chin to try and rouse him. Each slow movement of her finger pushed away another coat of blood that was accumulating on his jawline. She wiggled again to try and move up so she could free up her hand. She could only bend her wrist back and her hand was cramping up from the awkward angle. She wanted to check his head, she needed to know where all this blood was coming from.

"Roy." She shifted and got a drop of blood on her face for the effort. His face was so close, yet she couldn't see anything. He could be bleeding out right here and she wouldn't know. Then the car shook and she heard the clunk of metal as two hands slammed into the car to try to shove it free. She couldn't believe she was going to have to thank Barry for saving them. "Colonel, we'll be out of here soon."

Barry slammed his shoulder into the car and moved it another inch. He looked to see if Riza's door was clear yet, as he intended to just hack into it with his cleaver as soon as he had an opportunity. He jumped up on the guardrail and bent over, using the steel barrier as the leverage he needed to shove the car away from it.

Riza though she heard applause but the car being moved managed to jostle their bodies together and jam Roy's firearm into her again. His unconscious head banged into hers as the car violently jerked back to a stop after Barry shoved it. She winced and realized his head was closer now and her arm could move a little freer. However, before she could try to touch him, the car door above her head was ripped off the hinges.

"RIZA!"

Barry's screaming made her head ache and she groaned. "I'm here. Please, be careful with the Colonel. We don't know how badly he's injured."

Barry huffed. He just wanted to drag the guy out of there and toss him over his shoulder like a wet rag, but that wasn't going to win Riza over at all. "Yes, dear."

She had to close her eyes as Roy's limp body was drug over her. She prayed that he would be OK, she couldn't recall a single instance when he had been knocked out.

Barry laid him down on the street, face down, just like he was positioned in the car. Then he went back to help Riza out as she struggled to turn over. "Careful baby!"

She felt Barry's weird hands on her arms and on her chest. "Get your hand off my boob."

"Sorry, I was just trying to help." He said innocently. What the hell was he bothering to grab for, he couldn't feel anything. Dammit!

She felt the happy-go-lucky murderer lift her off the carpeted floor and into his harsh metal body. She almost gagged, the fur on his weird toga caveman tunic stank like roadkill. He was also clinging to her body and trying to take her away from where he laid Roy down. "Put me down."

"Riza, you need to come to the sidewalk where it's safe."

"I need to be with the Colonel." She pushed away from him and reached for her gun.

"Easy honey!" Barry walked over to the man and set her down. He heard sirens in the distance and sighed. "I better get out of here before the cops get here."

"Just hide in the alley." She said. "In case we need you."

"Sure,sweetheart."

"Thank you Barry." She said and he sighed as hearts formed in his eyes as he skipped off into the darkness. She sat down in the street and rolled Roy over, his face was laced with cuts and covered in blood from a head wound. He must have hit the dash or steering wheel. She sat down and lifted his head into her lap and waited. "Stay with me Roy."

Time blurred as she grew aware of more people circling around her, but now her adrenaline had subsided and she sat in the middle of the street not listening to the people, words or chaos around her. Riza just kept brushing the blood from his eyes and stroking his face. Help would be here soon. His injuries appeared to be non-fatal but a head injury was a difficult thing to judge. She was scared, Roy had never been unresponsive before. He always managed to maintain control and stay in charge no matter what happened.

How many times had she watched him emerge from the smoke and chaos during the war? How many times had he carelessly put himself in danger but walked away without a scratch and a smirk on his face? Perhaps, like the rest of the team, she had fallen prey to the misconception that he was invincible. He seemed to survive so much. Yes he put himself in danger, but he never doubted his people to have his back. He never would put them in danger when he could protect them. Sure he suffered in a different way, but she never had to do more than bandage a scratch or bruised ego. He never laid broken in her lap like this, never bloodied and unconscious.

Havoc and Breda had been on the other end of the district waiting for sight of the stolen truck when the radio crackled to life and reported a sighting of a armored lunatic and a four car accident. They listened to the broadcast and for a minute it didn't seemed like they took a breath as the dispatcher described the scene. It was a hit and run, the first car entered the intersect and was hit again. Then the armored guy returned screaming for someone in the car. They waited long enough to hear what intersection the accident was at and then sped off. Now they were here, afraid to walk over to Hawkeye and find out if she was cradling a living or dead Mustang in her lap. Havoc walked over and knelt down, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Riza, we're here. Medics will be here soon."

She felt numb and the touch of another human being that wasn't one she was touching felt surreal. She blinked and looked up at the familiar voice and smelled some smoke. She croaked out his name, "Jean?"

"Is he, OK?" Havoc asked and they both looked down at Mustang, who laid there without an indication of whether or not he was living or deceased.

"He's alive. We need a medic." Riza said and wanted to be more commanding, she was the one in charge here now. She was ranking officer now that Mustang was out of commission. "Barry is in the alley. Please get a medic."

"Fuery says they're on the way. We all rushed here as soon as we heard about the accident on the radio." Havoc pulled off his jacket and covered her with it. He didn't know what blood was hers and which was Mustang's. They both looked like hell. He looked up at the mangled car and was glad it took the beating in their stead. Breda came over and knelt down to check his commander's pulse.

"Was he drinking?" Breda asked and watched her close her eyes in frustration at his questions. He doubted his commander would do something before a mission, but with Mustang you never knew. He was known to forget how many sips of something he took.

"No." Riza knew Breda was only asking so he could start damage control. The press would be here soon and he needed a story already formulated to counteract any bad PR their boss was going to get from this.

Breda and Havoc both breathed a sign of relief. Havoc watched her repeat the motion of petting Mustang's face and said. "Tell us what happened."

"Why is Barry here?" Breda needed to know why the metal murderer was hanging out around the corner. He saw him when he walked over, the guy was just as bad as the Elrics at trying to stay out of sight.

"We were looking for his van. We were driving around looking for his van." Riza replied. They knew that. They were part of the mission. What they didn't know was that she proposed taking Barry with them after they all separated and broke into teams. "We took him with us, so he could help spot it."

"So you, Mustang and Barry are in Mustang's personal vehicle driving around East City looking for a stolen piece of evidence undercover?" Breda asked, trying to make the story stick in her mind now that she was in shock. It also helped the two of them understand what they were going to say in reports and to anyone who asked. "Barry was a prisoner."

"Yes." Riza nodded. She could hear a siren in the distance, why were they taking so long to get here?

Havoc asked. "Did Barry try to take the wheel or cause the accident?"

"No. He saw his truck and went after it." Riza replied.

"So Barry, a huge armored...ex-convict, asked you to stop the car?" Breda had to formulate his questions correctly. Her first answer was going to be what she remembered right now and he needed to guide her to respond correctly. He could see her eyes were glazed over a little and she wasn't focused on anything but the general location of a manhole cover behind him.

"He jumped out." She replied.

"Barry jumped out of Mustang's car?" Breda asked and looked to Havoc.

"Did people see him?" Havoc asked, she was in shock and it was bizarre to see Riza banged up and distant.

"Yes, he jumped into a crowd. Ran after it." Riza bit her lip. "Where are the medics? The Colonel needs attention."

"Riza, they're coming. We don't want to move him any more than he has already been touched for fear of doing more damage. OK?" Havoc wasn't sure what he could touch that wouldn't hurt so he just pet her hand. "You have to tell Breda everything. He has to come up with some story for the press. Ok?"

"We sped up after him and went to turn the corner... his truck veered into us. I just remember spinning and getting thrown around. Barry pulled us out of the car." Riza looked to Roy's face again.

Breda deflated. How the hell was he going to explain all this? "Ok, the ambulance is coming. I can hear it. You ride to the hospital with the Colonel. OK?"

"Yes." Riza nodded and Havoc sat down next to her.

Breda looked over in the shadows where Falman was interviewing Barry. He was going to have to be very creative with this story. "Fuery!"

"Sir?"

"Go get a notepad and pen and ask that crowd of people what they saw. Pretend you're a reporter. Take down everything."

"Can I record it?"

Breda shook his head. Of course Fuery had recording devices on him. "No, I want no recorded evidence of something that won't work in our favor. Just tell me what I'm working with and I'll figure out what we forget later."

* * *

Flower arrangements were all over every available space in the room. From 'Deepest Sympathies' to 'In Loving Memory', it was all there. Some wilted, some a little too fragrant and none comforting. Madam Christmas was hardly amused by the floral blanket draped over her foster son with the words ''Rest in Peace' in golden script on a ribbon pinned to it. She lit a cigarette and shook her head. "Roy-Boy, you need better friends."

Roy groaned as he heard the voice and the distinct smell associated with his Mom's preferred brand of cigarettes. "Mom?"

She watched his eyes flutter open and he winced as he tried to sit up. "Don't try to sit up, kid, you'll regret it."

The second scent that entered his nostrils was the hint of hospital sanitizer drowned out by the smell of dying flowers. His head pounded and he could only open his swollen eye a little bit before the light caused his head to throb more. He scanned the room and saw all the morbid flower arrangements. Then he realized he was covered with a casket blanket and groaned. "Am I dead?"

Chris looked around at the variety of funeral and graveside flower arrangements that perched on tables and counters in the room. "Either someone has a sick sense of humor or they celebrated a bit too early. No, boy, you're very much alive though I almost ended up having a heart attack when I walked in here and saw all this shit. Someone is going to die when I find out who did this though."

"Ugh." Roy struggled to sit up and felt his ribs and shoulder scream in protest. "I feel too bad to be dead."

"I had to bury your father and he was my little brother, you're not dying before me. Got it?" Chris poked him in the shoulder and he opened his mouth to scream but only a choke came out as he flopped back down onto his bed. "So stay in bed."

He tried to remember what happened. There was Barry, the serial killer truck and a crash. He remembered flinging his left arm out as the truck hit them, trying to protect Riza as best he could. "Riza!?"

Chris put her hand on his chest to keep him down. "She's fine."

"Where is she?"

"In her room." Chris could feel bandages under his hospital gown, but she also felt his heart pounding. "Settle down son, she's just fine. Don't worry the girl by jumping out of bed and causing more damage to yourself. You look like hell already, you're also too damned skinny. What did I tell you about skipping meals?"

"What?" He felt overwhelmed. Riza was in the car with him. He got her hurt.

Chris flung the floral blanket off him and reached over to grab at his side, the side that didn't have broken ribs. "I can feel ribs kid, not just the ones you tried to break and push out of your chest."

He sighed. Until he had the conversation she wanted to have, they weren't going to move on to anything else. Moms and their annoying tendency to repeat the statement until you eventually caved and talked about what they wanted. "Madam, I've been working a lot."

"Well then a couple week off work to recuperate will do you some good." She settled back down into the uncomfortable chair and looked around the room at the damned flowers again. "So, which one of your friends did this little flower show here?"

"Barry." Roy replied. "Riza's stalker is apparently also a grave robber. No surprise there."

"She got the nice flowers." Chris mused. "Carload of them."

"Can you, get me over to see her?" Roy asked and saw the glint of amusement in her eyes. He didn't care. Let her chatter on about grand-kids all she wanted as long as he could see Riza with his own eyes and apologize for getting her hurt. His voice sounded like a boyish plea, and he just didn't care.

"I'll bring her to you. Stay put." Chris stood up and placed a kiss on his bandaged head and grunted. "You move a muscle and I will know."

"Yes, Madam." He replied and watched her disappear into the hallway. He groaned and looked a the flowers again and the thought of charring Barry's armor black entered his head and his brain began to throb. He closed his eyes as soon as he heard some nurse scream about how smoking wasn't allowed in the hospital. He knew Chris would get Riza here no matter what it took so he could rest for a bit until she arrived. He didn't want to worry her.

* * *

Riza felt awkward being pushed around the hospital in a wheelchair by Madam Christmas. She did however find out why Roy was such a terrible driver as she almost ended up in several more collisions by the time she reached his room down the hall. Her knuckles were white by the time she arrived, having nothing else to keep her in the seat of the chair while Chris pushed her with way too much speed. She felt sick to her stomach and she doubted it was the drugs they were giving her.

"Safe and sound, see Roy-Boy." Madam Christmas zipped into her son's room and parked the wheelchair up against the bed where they couldn't help but be close to each other, then set the brake. "Well, I'm going outside for a smoke. I need to enjoy it without being yelled at."

Roy could see the terror on Riza's face. He just wrote it off as her being a very bad passenger and needing the control from driving. As soon as the door to the room closed, he reached for her hand. "Are you OK? Please...tell me I didn't hurt you."

"You didn't do this." She looked him over and bit her lip. "How badly were you hurt?"

Roy tried to sit up but ended up just sinking back into the bed. "Just a few scratches..."

"Roy." She said sternly. "You were unconscious and I thought I lost you. You will not downplay this. I won't lose you, do you understand me?"

He wasn't going to protest. He felt horrible. "Have them move you into this room. Someone just made an attempt on our lives and I need to know you're safe."

"Only because I want to make sure you don't go anywhere." She squeezed his hand. She felt awkward so she decided to report to her commander before she started cursing at him for making her think he was dead. "Breda took care of the incident with the press and in the official reports. He referred to Barry as the 'man in armor' and made it sound like the it was really Al with you. Nobody questioned it."

"He's good." He smiled at her as she continued to rub his hand. They quickly settled back into the routine they were used to. Colonel and Lieutenant. They were good at that.

"Barry is in Falman's custody in an old safe house. They're playing board games and trying to look for Barry's van at night." Riza continued.

"They made a cute couple." Roy said with a grin as he imagined Falman pulling his hair out because of Barry's antics. He got her look of admonishment for that, as he intended."Robbing the dead at night while looking for a serial killer van."

Riza glanced over at the flowers. All the _dead_ flowers. "Barry and Falman came up with a theory that maybe the van was being used to steal bodies from the coroner's office in order to sell body parts on the black market."

"Wow." Roy chuckled and regretted the action immediately as his ribs screamed. "That...is a leap."

"You've been out of commission for a day, Colonel." Riza reminded him. "The team interviewed witnesses, covered up for us and sent us off to the hospital while they continued the mission. After we left the scene, Breda and Fuery stayed on site while Havoc, Falman and Barry kept on the trail while it was hot. They eventually backtracked here because of all the witnesses that saw that van leaving the hospital. "

"Good work." Roy said and realized he could just delegate for a bit and take some time to recouperate. Exactly the conclusion she wanted him to reach by telling him this. "So what did they find?"

"Havoc said bodies were released to a funeral home, but those bodies were not the ones missing. Fresher bodies went missing." She said and watched his eyes close, clearly the drugs were making him drowsy and she was glad he could get some rest.

"Go on."

He'd rest when he knew the situation was under control. She smiled despite telling a rather distasteful story about mutilated corpses. "They went to the funeral home and the director said the bodies were not ones he was supposed to have. I think that's where Barry did his flower shopping."

"Well, I'm glad Havoc doesn't have to worry about losing flower shop girl to Barry too." Roy said with a slight grin.

"So that is where the team is at." She finished updating him and his eyes opened just slightly to look at her again. "Breda brought Ed and Al in on the investigation. I believe his words were, 'If anyone can get away with asking about purchasing fresh stolen organs, it's Ed.'"

"True." Roy smiled and she squeezed his hand.

"The boys...stopped by." She reached up and pushed some hair from his eyes. "They were worried."

"They don't want to lose another Mom." He said with a gentle smile. As much as all parties involved would deny it, the fact still remained that the Elrics and Riza had formed quite the bond. They almost turned into real kids again when Riza complimented them or just brushed something off Al's armor or braided Ed's hair. They glowed under her attention as much as her dog...or her commanding officer.

"They care about you too." She said and ran her finger past a butterfly bandage on his brow. "So when they come here to report in, you better be on your best behavior. They want to do a good job and try to help."

"I'll keep that in mind when they destroy half the goddamned town while asking people where they can buy kidneys."

She ran her hand down to his ear and tugged on his earlobe. "Roy, you scared everyone. This whole team is working overtime to find the person who put your in the hospital. Don't be an ass."

"Sorry." He said and rolled his head over to trap her hand under him and kiss her wrist.

"None of us thought..." She started to choke up as she finally got around to the subject she had been avoiding. It was part of his ability as a leader to instill in them the confidence that he had and they never realized it until he was finally lying there bleeding like the rest of them. "We just took it for granted that you..."

"I'll be fine." He whispered. "I don't need you getting any more protective of me."

"Well you won't be driving anymore, that's for sure." She said and tried to laugh off the misty eyes and tightness in her throat.

"I'm sorry." He said so softly he wasn't sure she heard it but her glassy eyes returned to his and he reached up to brush away a tear from her cheek. "I never want to make you cry."

"I didn't even feel this way in Ishval. I was so scared in that car because I was trapped and unable to do anything to help you. It's different when you're in danger and I have a gun in my hand...but you were so close I had your blood dripping on me and I couldn't do anything..."

"Riza...I'm fine." He said. "I'm sorry I scared you."

"You wouldn't wake up." She felt her lip tremble as hot tears streamed down her cheeks. "Is all this worth it if we can't see it to the end? If you die in my arms because of some accident is it worth everything we've denied ourselves because of your goals?"

He opened his mouth to say something but she gave him the most terrified look he had seen from her in a long time and his words caught in his throat.

"When was the last time I told you that I loved you? You could have left me that night and there is so much I never said aloud because it was too painful. I didn't want to torture us both with something we agreed was not as important as making amends." She sniffled and it felt good to cry and confess. "I love you. I wish we never went to war. I wish...you never left for the academy. I wish you never left my house. I want that path we never took even though that road is closed to us because of all the horrible things we did. I want you to know that in a perfect world I would be your wife and we would have kids and puppies and we...would be happy."

He had no idea what to say, because the only choice in this reality was 'but we can't'.

"Sorry. I didn't mean to unload on you...I just..."

"The world would still be broken and threaten that dream." He said. "I never question if you love me, maybe I question why you do or what we're doing, but I never question love. It's my one constant in this world, like the North Star, and without it I would be lost. I love you and you me...it's the one Truth I know and never question."

She nodded and reached over to grab a tissue. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have..."

"When we fix this world, I want that with you." He said and pulled her hand over to kiss as she sniffled and took a deep breath. "We have to fix this world first because we helped break it and our kids and puppies don't deserve to inherit that. They don't deserve the broken versions of us either. So we'll find that road eventually Riza, this is just an awful detour through hell on our way to get back on course..."

She blew her nose and wiped her eyes and looked down at his smile.

Then he added, "Because I'm a horrible driver and never ask for directions." just to see her smile again.

She looked over her shoulder to make sure nobody was by the window in the door and quickly leaned over to give him a kiss. "I asked you a long time ago to not get yourself killed."

"I remember." He said and watched her sit back up and do her best to compose herself.

"It predates my promise to you." She said. "To keep you on the right path."

He closed his eyes and smiled. "Yes...it does. So I should be more careful to not put myself in this position or that theoretical one again."

"Please, be more careful." She said and rolled her wheelchair away from the bed. "I'll have the staff move me to this room and have a sentry posted so we can help you keep that promise."

"I do need all the help I can get." He said and looked over at the beautiful women who he didn't deserve to have by his side. Then their moment was ruined by the building shaking, plaster falling from the ceiling onto his face and the sound of an explosion outside as the windows rattled. He coughed and wiped the bit of plaster from his eyes and growled. "Goddammit Fullmetal, are you trying to wake the dead to ask them who stole their organs!?"

Riza smiled as she opened the door and rolled herself into the hallway to see the chaos of hospital staff trying to figure out exactly what happened. She rolled herself back over to the bed and returned to her Colonel's side. It would be a while before the nurses would be interested in accommodating their request and she knew a member of their team would be along shortly to check in on them. For now, she'd just enjoy waiting beside him and knowing he was alive. "Perhaps you should get some rest sir."

"Do I still need to be nice to him..."

"Yes." She said and watched him relax and close his eyes, a smile on his face. Despite the chaos in the hall he managed to nod off to sleep under her watch. She found it all too easy to nod off as well and neither noticed when Madam Christmas closed the door again to give them the privacy they deserved.


End file.
